Coral Triangle · Indonesia
Padangbai & Candidasa
Sheltered macro bays and current-swept islets from one harbour
Photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Padangbai, the Lombok ferry port on Bali's east coast, is where the dive speedboats for this stretch leave from, and they serve two kinds of diving. The sites around the harbour, the Blue Lagoon and Jepun among them, are calm macro and training dives from 5 m down. Fifteen minutes out, the Candidasa islets of Gili Tepekong, Gili Mimpang and Gili Biaha take current, sit in colder water and draw mola mola from July to October. Most dives run between 5 and 30 m.
About diving in Padangbai & Candidasa
The dive speedboats on this stretch all leave from Padangbai. The dive centres sit on the beach beside the ferry harbour, and the local sites are a few minutes' ride from it. A few sites can be reached from Candidasa by small traditional jukung boats, but Candidasa has no pier or mooring for dive speedboats, so its centres drive their divers 11 km west to Padangbai by private bus and run the boats from there. The islets of Gili Tepekong, Gili Mimpang and Gili Biaha are 15 minutes out. Most sites need attention to the current, which turns strong at tide change and around the new moon.
The Blue Lagoon's shallow coastal reef slopes to a maximum of 25 m with a short wall, and at the Drop Off, where the Blue Lagoon meets Amuk Bay, a rocky cape continues underwater as a vertical wall. The Padangbai sites are macro ground: leaf scorpionfish, ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, frogfish, Spanish dancers and many nudibranchs, with cat sharks and wobbegongs as rare finds, all in shallow, calm water. Whitetip reef sharks are resident and large green turtles are seen. Upwelling cools the water, and a 3 mm suit is the minimum.
Most of the Padangbai sites suit beginners and courses, and macro photographers have the bays by day and the Blue Lagoon at night. The islets are a different proposition. Their currents are strong and can surprise, with up and down currents that can sweep a diver into the open sea, and they are only for advanced divers with an experienced guide in good weather. Anyone chasing mola mola should come between July and October and expect cold water at depth.
Best time to dive Padangbai & Candidasa
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
The sites can be dived all year. The wet season runs from November to March: the water is warmer, but visibility drops and storms can make the offshore islands harder to reach. From April the dry season brings much better conditions. Cold upwellings from June to September set up the mola mola season around the islets and some coastal sites, and July to October is the best window to see them. The same upwellings make those months chilly, with deep water as cold as 18°C while the shallows stay above 24°C.
Dive types & marine life
Mola mola arrive with the cold upwellings and are most likely from July to October, around the islets and some coastal sites. Critters such as Rhinopias and blue-ringed octopus on the Padangbai reef and jetty sites are most common during and after the cold-water season.
- Reef
- Wall
- Drift
- Wreck
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Mola mola
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Frogfish
- Pygmy seahorses
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Padangbai & Candidasa
- 1
Gili Tepekong
Rocky islet off Candidasa; its Plateau drifts over coral to a deep wall, for experienced divers.
- 2
Blue Lagoon
Bay in the 2017 marine protected area with six sites, from beginner dives to a 25 m slope and wall; dived at night too.
- 3
Jepun
Artificial reef around a small wreck scuttled in 2008 at 18 m, known for blue-spotted stingrays.
- 4
Gili Biaha
Islet a little farther south-east, with a reef wall and a cave where whitetip reef sharks rest.
- 5
Gili Mimpang
Batu Tiga, a cluster of three large rocks and six smaller ones off Candidasa.
- 6
Ferry Channel
Edge of the Lombok ferry lane by the green beacon, dropping past 30 m; whitetip reef sharks.
- 7
Bias Tugal
Bay with a flat 9 m bottom of soft coral and boulders carrying hard coral.
Site guides
Long coral and rubble slope that finishes against a wall
Reef
Protected bay that serves as both training ground and night dive
Reef
Whitetip reef sharks beside the Lombok ferry lane
Wall
Rocky walls around a small island, with Shark Cave and Biaha Slope
Pinnacle
Three large rocks and six smaller ones in a current-swept cluster
Wall
Boulder overhangs and tunnels above a steep wall
Artificial reef
Blue-spotted stingrays around a small boat scuttled in 2008
Reef
Volcanic rock reef top on the cape between the Blue Lagoon and the harbour
How to get to Padangbai & Candidasa
Padangbai is about 90 minutes by taxi from Ngurah Rai International Airport, and the drive to either town takes 1 to 1.5 hours. Candidasa lies 11 km east of Padangbai; centres in both towns run their boats from Padangbai's beach.
Photos from Padangbai & Candidasa
FBilula · CC BY 4.0
My-Lan Le · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Plongée à Bali, Padangbai, Candidasa · Sylvie Moretti on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is mola mola season at Padangbai and Candidasa?+
July to October. Cold upwellings from June to September bring mola mola to the offshore islets and some coastal sites, and the water at depth can drop to 18°C while the shallows stay above 24°C.
Can beginners dive Padangbai?+
Yes. Most of the Padangbai bays are suited to beginners and courses. The Candidasa islets are a different matter: their currents are strong and they are only really suitable for experienced divers.
Do Candidasa dive boats leave from Candidasa?+
Mostly not. A few sites can be reached from Candidasa by small traditional jukung boats, but there is no pier or mooring for dive speedboats, so centres take divers 11 km west to Padangbai by bus. The islets are 15 minutes out from there.
How do I get to Padangbai from the airport?+
Padangbai is about 90 minutes by taxi from Ngurah Rai International Airport on a pre-paid coupon. Candidasa is a further 11 km east along the coast.
Sources
- Padangbai - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Candi Dasa - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Padang Bai - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Candidasa - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Padang Bai diving - Divezone — Divezone
- Candidasa diving - Divezone — Divezone
- Gili Biaha - Divezone — Divezone
- Gili Tepekong - Divezone — Divezone
- Scuba diving in Padangbai and Candidasa — Zublu
- Scuba Diving Candidasa — Crystal Divers
- Scuba Diving in Candidasa — Sian May Candidasa Diving
Photo credits
- A blue nudibranch with black stripes and yellow bumps crawling over grey volcanic sand by Bernard Picton, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of a turquoise bay ringed by a village, a ferry harbour and two green headlands by FBilula, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Two dark feather stars on a white coral head among green branching corals by My-Lan Le, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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